Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves in 2011. Alves, a defender for Barcelona in Spain, had a banana thrown at him during a home game on April 27.

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Originally published on May 10, 2014 12:40 pm

Days after a banana was thrown at a black soccer player in Spain, igniting an uproar over racism in European sports, a new controversy has erupted over how to punish racist fans.

The man behind that now-infamous banana toss, a 26-year-old youth soccer coach, has been banned for life from Villarreal's stadium, where he threw a banana at the Brazilian player Dani Alves as he was about to take a corner kick during an April 27 game. The home team, Villarreal, was fined 12,000 euros (nearly $17,000) by the Spanish soccer federation.

But many black players and anti-racism advocates say that penalty is paltry.

"It's a joke, this fine of just 12,000 euros! It signifies that we don't care about putting an end to racism," Lilian Thuram, a retired top French soccer player, told reporters at an event to promote a charitable foundation he runs to combat racism through education. "In America, they do take this kind of thing seriously. They've banned Donald Sterling from the NBA for life."

When that banana was thrown at Alves, he plucked it from the pitch, peeled it and took a bite — and then proceeded to take his corner kick. The crowd went wild. Afterward Alves joked that he was happy for a little potassium boost. But he also offered a scathing critique of Spain, where he has lived for 11 years and holds dual nationality.

"This country sells itself as being a First World country, but it's very backward," Alves told Brazilian radio. "They're racist against foreigners."

A Symbol Of Anti-Racism

Since Alves' banana snack, the fruit has morphed into a potent anti-racism symbol in Spain. A top news anchor on Spanish public television recently interrupted her live broadcast to take a bite out of a banana.

"I am a monkey. I am black inside my heart," said the pale-complexioned Marilo Montero, echoing a hashtag that's gone viral on social media. "We are all monkeys" (#somostodosmonos in Spanish and #somostodosmacacos in Portuguese).

"I congratulate Dani Alves! This is a problem we've been seeing in soccer stadia everywhere, but players have been suffering in silence," Salvador Rodriguez Moya, author of Black Card to Racism, a book about racism in Spanish soccer, told NPR. "Dani Alves got everyone's attention, with irony, and achieved his goal — that everyone should understand and see that since he's been in Spain, he's been the target of racism."

"This affects me a lot. It happens in many stadia. I don't know if it's racism or a lack of respect. But it has to stop," he told reporters in a post-game news conference. "All the black players get called monkeys."

Afterward a delegation of players from the rival team, Atletico Madrid, visited Diop in the locker room to apologize for their fans' behavior. And European soccer's governing body, UEFA, called on Spain to take "appropriate action."

In 2006, Spain passed anti-racism legislation after then-Barcelona, now-Chelsea player Samuel Eto'o, who is from Cameroon, threatened to walk off the field amid racist abuse. The Spanish law slaps fines on soccer teams if they don't crack down on racist fans — but there are no criminal penalties. The Spanish soccer federation can also order the closure of certain stadiums where racist incidents have occurred.

Thuram, who also played for Barcelona from 2006 to 2008, said that should have happened to Villarreal, for the banana thrown at Alves.

"The referees should stop the game, and the [Spanish soccer] federation should close the stadium," Thuram said. "Spanish authorities don't understand racism. ... There's so much hypocrisy because racism is part of society as well."

He was referring to protests outside the Villarreal stadium in recent days by fans showing solidarity with the banana-thrower and calling his punishment too harsh.

A Systemic Problem

Anti-racism advocates say the problem is not just in Spain but everywhere in Europe.

"From racist chants to throwing bananas like we've seen in Spain, and monkey chants," Georgina Siklossy, spokeswoman for the Brussels-based European Network Against Racism, or ENAR, told NPR. "Of course black players are particularly targeted, but there have also been many examples of anti-Semitic slogans and Nazi salutes on different occasions in Eastern Europe."

Siklossy called on all European countries to enact anti-racism legislation and to enforce it with criminal penalties.

But that is rarely done. And the problem may be getting worse.

Moya interviewed hundreds of Spanish soccer players, past and present, for his book on racism. He says racism first reared its head in European soccer in England in the 1970s and 1980s, when the first African and South American players immigrated to sign with top Premier League teams. Now racism has arrived in Spain, where La Liga is one of the most competitive leagues, attracting top players from all over the world.

Carlos Alberto Pintinho was one of the first. A dark-skinned Brazilian, he moved to Spain in 1981 to play for Seville, when he was 25.

"It was different back then. You never had more than two foreigners on any Spanish team. Racism? It's so much worse now," he told NPR. "In all the stadia, you can hear monkey chants. This is not good for our sport."

Pintinho is something of a local hero in Seville because of his soccer career there, and he decided to remain and live in Spain after he retired from international soccer. NPR reached him at his home in Seville, during an annual springtime festival there this week.

Asked whether he shared Alves' and Diop's views of Spain as a racist country, Pintinho said he disagreed.

"I've been living here for 33 years, and I've felt nothing but welcome," he said. "I don't envy those players on the field now, and what they put up with. It was different in my time. And off the field, life is pretty good."

Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Spain is the reigning world champion of soccer. In the past 10 days, two incidents of racism have sullied Spain's national pastime. European soccer's governing body has issued a stark warning and, just a month before the opening of the World Cup, there are calls to ban Spain from high profile tournaments. Lauren Frayer reports from Madrid.

LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: Spaniards are eating a lot of bananas these days. Here, a news anchor interrupts her live broadcast to peel a banana and declare that she's a monkey. It's all part of a backlash to something that happened on a soccer field here two weekends ago. Barcelona player Dani Alves, a dark-skinned Brazilian, was about to take a corner kick in a game against Villarreal near Valencia when a banana landed on the field right in front of him.

SALVADOR RODRIGUEZ MOYA: (Speaking foreign language)

FRAYER: At first, people weren't sure what it was. Salvador Rodriguez Moya, who wrote a book about racism in Spanish soccer and happened to be watching the game.

MOYA: (Speaking foreign language)

FRAYER: Dani Alves picked up that banana, peeled it, took a bite and then took the corner kick and the message was those racists can't rattle me, he says. Twitter and Instagram have exploded with celebrities, fellow soccer stars, even Italy's prime minister posting selfies with bananas and the hashtag weareallmonkeys in various languages.

It's a funny reaction to a very serious problem of racism in sports across Europe, says Georgina Siklossy with European Network Against Racism in Brussels.

GEORGINA SIKLOSSY: From racist chants to throwing bananas like we've seen in Spain, monkey chants, and of course black players are particularly targeted, but there have also been many examples of anti-Semitic slogans and Nazi salutes at different occasions in Eastern Europe.

FRAYER: Racism first became an issue in European soccer in 1970s England, when African and South American players first signed with top premier clubs. Now it's arrived in Spain, where La Liga attracts some of the world's best players.Carlos Alberto Pintinho was one of the first. He came from Brazil to play for Seville in 1981 when he was 25.

CARLOS ALBERTO PINTINHO: (Speaking foreign language)

FRAYER: But it was different back then, he says. You didn't have more than two foreigners on any Spanish team. Racism, it's so much worse now. In all the stadia, you can hear monkey chants. This is not good for our sport.

The Spanish government passed anti-racism legislation in 2006 after then Barcelona, now Chelsea player, Samuel Eto'o from Cameroon threatened to walk off the field amid racist abuse. The Spanish law slaps fines on soccer teams if they don't crack down on racist fans, but there are no criminal penalties.

After eating the banana, Dani Alves joked he was glad for a little potassium boost, but then he offered a pretty scathing critic of Spain, where he lives and has dual nationality.

DANI ALVES: (Speaking foreign language)

FRAYER: Spain sells itself as being a first-world country, but it's very backwards, Alves told Brazilian radio. They're racist against foreigners. Alves also said he'd like to post a photo of that banana thrower on the Internet to shame him. After several days, police finally arrested the man, a coach for Villarreal's youth soccer camps. He's been fired from that job and banned from the team's stadium for life.

Villarreal has been fined nearly $17,000 for his behavior. Some anti-racism advocates say that's not enough and that until there are criminal penalties for racism in Spanish sports, players will continue to be harassed. Just this past Sunday, a Senegalese midfielder who plays for Spain's Levante team was taunted by rival fans making monkey noises.

Pape Diop turned around and did a little monkey dance in the direction of the racist fans, but afterward told reporters he's sick of this.

PAPE DIOS: (Speaking foreign language)

FRAYER: This affects me a lot. It happens in many stadia. I don't know if it's racism or a lack of respect, he says, but it has to stop. Afterward, a delegation from the rival team visited Diop to apologize for their fans. Meanwhile, European soccer's governing body, UEFA, has called on Spain to take appropriate action. For NPR News, I'm Lauren Frayer in Madrid. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.